Gymnotus ID please
- Thread starter FishBeast
- Start date
Nice pickup not absolutely positive but looks like a Tiger Knifefish.
Thank you! Is there overlap in patterning between species? It also seems like the pattern can vary a lot between individuals and also from juvenile to adult. The photos I’ve seen most similar to it are G. pedanopterus but is it true that the name was attached to pretty much anything that wasn’t G. tigre? I’m still learning hehe. It was an impulse buy 
The patterns are difficult but the H pattern is more specific for javari. The pedanopterus I’ve seen has more bars that split at the bottom. No H pattern.
Definitely G. javari like
kno4te
said.
I've never seen a live photo of the true G. pedanopterus and have my doubts that its ever been imported as an aquarium fish. All of them have been G. tigre...easily recognizable by the light-colored spots on the head.
From what I've seen, at least 95% of Gymnotus brought in are either G. carapo (or one of the species virtually indistinguishable from it), G. tigre, or G. javari.
Javari used to be rare to see, but are showing up more regularly...great variation in color pattern and seem to stay a smaller size than the others.
kno4te
said. I've never seen a live photo of the true G. pedanopterus and have my doubts that its ever been imported as an aquarium fish. All of them have been G. tigre...easily recognizable by the light-colored spots on the head.
From what I've seen, at least 95% of Gymnotus brought in are either G. carapo (or one of the species virtually indistinguishable from it), G. tigre, or G. javari.
Javari used to be rare to see, but are showing up more regularly...great variation in color pattern and seem to stay a smaller size than the others.
Thanks bro! My research shows 11” full grown, does that sound about right? My first challenge is to get it to eat pellets. Very shy fish, only comes out when lights are off...Definitely G. javari like
I've never seen a live photo of the true G. pedanopterus and have my doubts that its ever been imported as an aquarium fish. All of them have been G. tigre...easily recognizable by the light-colored spots on the head.
From what I've seen, at least 95% of Gymnotus brought in are either G. carapo (or one of the species virtually indistinguishable from it), G. tigre, or G. javari.
Javari used to be rare to see, but are showing up more regularly...great variation in color pattern and seem to stay a smaller size than the others.
I believe that since the reclassification of gymnoforms one of the closest pattern wise to javari is now G.coatesi which as mentioned above was one of the fish previously known under one name of G.carapo.
I would also agree with all above that yours is G.javari.
Whilst there is some good description literature out there, unfortunately getting good pictures of many knives involves searching through you tube , where as you will no doubt find, many of the fish are wildly mislabelled.
I would also agree with all above that yours is G.javari.
Whilst there is some good description literature out there, unfortunately getting good pictures of many knives involves searching through you tube , where as you will no doubt find, many of the fish are wildly mislabelled.
